The new rail cars will be 90% recyclable and energy-efficient, featuring improvements such as full LED lighting and climate control regulation based on passenger load. Credit: Skyler Gerald on Unsplash.

Manufacturing operation company Alstom has secured an initial order from Chicago’s Metra commuter rail system to deliver 200 push-pull commuter rail cars.

The value of the initial order is approximately $775m (€650m).

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The order was placed after the Metra board of directors agreed to award a vehicle procurement contract to Alstom for up to 500 rail cars in January 2020.

These multilevel railcars will feature an improved bogie design, touchless doors, multiple wide doors on each side, and a streamlined interior, equipped with USB plugs.

Alstom Americas president Jérôme Wallut said: “Alstom is pleased to have been selected by Metra to provide the latest in multilevel car design. Alstom continues to invest and support investment in US railroad infrastructure, and these new cars will allow Metra to extract maximum value from their fleet investments by increasing fleet reliability, enhancing overall passenger experience and ensuring maximum accessibility for all passengers.”

The company stated that the new cars will comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), along with the other accessibility requirements.

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Modern components will enhance the reliability of the fleet while enhanced maintenance and diagnostic system capabilities will enable Metra to gain greater visibility into the operational performance of its fleet.

The new energy-efficient rail cars will be 90% recyclable and feature improvements such as full LED lighting and climate control regulation based on passenger load.

Alstom stated that the production of the new railcars will take place at its rolling stock Centre of Excellence and at Hornell’s manufacturing facility in New York.

The project will be led by the Alstom Hornell site while other Alstom sites will be responsible for the automatic train control system.

Metra has been using Alstom’s signalling and train control systems and procuring wheels from the company since 2013.

In July 2020, Alstom secured a contract to provide up to 50 overhaul kits with spare parts for Metra’s locomotive overhaul programme.

So far, Alstom has supplied over 7,000 new or renovated vehicles, more than 8,000 traction cases, and over 50% of signalling for North America’s rail network.

Last week, Alstom signed a contract with Landesnahverkehrsgesellschaft Niedersachsen (LNVG) for the delivery of 34 Coradia Stream high-capacity double-decker EMU trains in Germany.